Badendjal Chtetha, Eggplant Ratatouille, Ratatouille d'Aubergines
This post was initially published on October 13, 2005. Not surprisingly lately it's been one of the post popular posts. Yes, I saw the movie Ratatouille too.
I'm bumping up this almost 2 year old post to link to Russ Parsons' LA Times blog post about The rat's ratatouille .
You'll see a couple of comments at the bottom of the post.
Me:
"I am beginning to investigate whether or not byaldi entered the French lexicon via Algeria. Some say byaldi is derived from the Turkish imam bayildi and the historical "bridge" between France and the Ottoman empire is Algeria. (Where is Charles Perry to answer?)
The same ingredients and essentially the same cooking techniques are found in more than one food culture.
Don't let the name ratatouille fool you into believing it was a colonial introduction. Eggplants were introduced into the Maghreb by the Arabs and the Moors/Saracens introduced eggplant to Europe.
Tomatoes and peppers are "New World" ingredients. As I've already written the Spanish captured Oran in 1509.
Onions have been in Algeria since ancient times.
Don't let the name ratatouille fool you into believing it was a colonial introduction. Eggplants were introduced into the Maghreb by the Arabs and the Moors/Saracens introduced eggplant to Europe.
Tomatoes and peppers are "New World" ingredients. As I've already written the Spanish captured Oran in 1509.
Onions have been in Algeria since ancient times.
Ingredients:
2 Red or green bell peppers
2 Poivrons rouges ou verts
1 medium eggplant (if the quality is not so good sprinkle salt on them for about 30 minutes, rinse, drain and pat dry)
1 Aubergine
2 Tomatoes (if they are over ripe, make cross marks on the bottom,
put them in boiling water for 1-2 minutes, remove, drain, peel, remove
the seeds and chop. If you want to be a little fancier with really good
tomatoes do the same thing. This is called concasse.)
2 Tomates
1 onion
1 oignon
1/2 tablespoon of paprika
1/2 cuillere a soupe de paprika
1 teaspoon cayenne
1 cuillere a cafe cayenne
1 teaspoon spice blend (I used a blend of cumin, turmeric and caraway)
1 cuillere a cafe d'epices
Lots of olive oil. For me eggplants and olive oil go hand in hand.
Eggplant can't have enough olive oil. In some dishes the eggplant is a
vehicle for olive oil.
Huile d'olive
Salt and pepper
Sel et poivre
Optional herbs
Flat leaf parsely, coriander leaf (cilantro) or fenugreek leaves
Persil plat, coriandre ou fenugrec frais
Ingredients:
2 Red or green bell peppers
2 Poivrons rouges ou verts
1 medium eggplant (if the quality is not so good sprinkle salt on them for about 30 minutes, rinse, drain and pat dry)
1 Aubergine
2 Tomatoes (if they are over ripe, make cross marks on the bottom,
put them in boiling water for 1-2 minutes, remove, drain, peel, remove
the seeds and chop. If you want to be a little fancier with really good
tomatoes do the same thing. This is called concasse.)
2 Tomates
1 onion
1 oignon
1/2 tablespoon of paprika
1/2 cuillere a soupe de paprika
1 teaspoon cayenne
1 cuillere a cafe cayenne
1 teaspoon spice blend (I used a blend of cumin, turmeric and caraway)
1 cuillere a cafe d'epices
Lots of olive oil. For me eggplants and olive oil go hand in hand.
Eggplant can't have enough olive oil. In some dishes the eggplant is a
vehicle for olive oil.
Huile d'olive
Salt and pepper
Sel et poivre
Optional herbs
Flat leaf parsely, coriander leaf (cilantro) or fenugreek leaves
Persil plat, coriandre ou fenugrec frais
Method:
1) Some cooks throw everything in the pot and cook on medium/low for 30-40 minutes.
2) Some cooks throw everything into a ceramic vessel and bake covered in the oven for 1 hour 350F
3) Some cooks saute the onions first until caramelized, add the eggplant plus more olive oil, and then the remaining ingredients and cook on medium/low heat for 30-40 minutes.
This is eaten with bread or as a pasta sauce.
Algeria Algerian Cuisine Algerian Recipes Algerian Food Algerian dishes Cuisine Algerienne Recettes Algerienne North African cuisine Maghreb Cuisine
Halal recipes Ramadan recipes Arab recipes African recipes Berber recipes Amazigh recipes Moroccan recipes Tunisian recipes
Anyway, a byaldi (with neatly sliced or coarsley chopped vegetables) in a casserole is a Provence style tian to me.
Enjoy!"
Response from Charles Perry (staff writer for The Times):
"Now Chef Zadi mentions it, Algeria probably is the route by which imam bayildi reached France. You can say it could have come by way of Syria or Lebanon when they were French protectorates in the Twenties and Thirties, but there was a much older, broader and more intimate contact with Algeria, so my vote is for Algeria."
A Provence style tian of layered ratatouillevegetables is also an Algerian Badenjal bil Tomatish (eggplant and tomato) Tagine.